Glad I moved over to Poly Trucking

I missed that dam it , that would have been good entertainment !

 

The backhaul joy continued Friday. Found the customer with no problem. It was a huge nursery supply place. Check in and you have to follow someone in a golf cart to the specific area where they store my products, dodging other golf carts(and all these golf carts were pulling at least 1 little 2 axle trailer), tractors, forklifts, trucks, and of course greenhouses. I had to wait while my escort golf cart driver had to move one of their straight truck flatbeds that a driver parked in the most obstructive place possible so he could get loaded. Once we got to my unloading location, 2 other guys on a golf cart (pulling a trailer)with a pallet jack showed up, and a forklift and driver appeared which relieved me because I thought I was going to have to pallet clamp this load, and the heaviest stuff was the mulch, which was on pallets that had been stored outside for who knows how long, thus rendering these pallets dangerously fragile. Now the problems...1) after I handed the 1st golf cart dude the paperwork, he stuck it in his pocket, then misplaced it, 2) the pallet jack they brought was a short fork unit, and couldn't get all the way under the pallets, 3) the 2 guys trying to use the pallet jack didn't speak english, 4) the guy running the forklift wasn't very good. When they realized that pallet jack wasn't going to do the job, they attempted to use one of those long reach construction boom type off road forklift cranes...but he was worse on that and was tearing up pallet and product. After about 45 minutes, they hopped on their golf cart and went in search of a different pallet jack. When they returned, they had the right equipment, but couldn't understand why I wouldn't go turn on my reefer unit to help keep them cool, until the the forklift driver (who spoke a little english) told them I didn't have a reefer trailer. 2 hours later, with 6 pallets to go, they hop down, get on the golf cart and drive away...then my escort golf cart driver comes back, having found the paperwork, hands me my copy and tells me that it was break time, and they'll be right back. I finally get empty, sweep out the dirty trailer, and head for Poly Central only to find out that apparently I missed the message that told us that the office was taking Friday off for the holiday...but I didn't notice the empty office parking lot until I was already inside the compound gates...without a bobtail pass...fortunately, emergency outbound was understanding and got me a bobtail pass, even though we aren't suppose to do it that way any more...they understood.

When I went to swap out of this loaner back into my normal truck, there was no place to park 2 bobtail side by side...I ended up parking in the middle of the drive between the drivers personal vehicles to swap. Between the holiday and the exodus of drivers, there were a lot of bobtails there...I guess another 10 drivers recently quit since I left for my home time...maybe if I stick it out, this mass exodus will help them do something drastic like....pay us for layovers and breakdowns before they run out of drivers. Yeah, I know, don't hold my breath...but the scuttle-butt going around the rumor room is that upper management isn't pleased with what is causing the multitude of drivers to abandon ship. If it keeps up, I may be a senior driver soon

 

[QUOTE="without a bobtail pass...fortunately, emergency outbound was understanding and got me a bobtail pass, even though we aren't suppose to do it that way any more...they understood.

I guess another 10 drivers recently quit since I left for my home time...maybe if I stick it out, this mass exodus will help them do something drastic like....pay us for layovers and breakdowns before they run out of drivers. Yeah, I know, don't hold my breath...but the scuttle-butt going around the rumor room is that upper management isn't pleased with what is causing the multitude of drivers to abandon ship. If it keeps up, I may be a senior driver soon [/QUOTE]What not supposed to be done anymore ... calling after hrs for a gate pass ? ALso as for things getting better because of .... In my experience i'm more concerned that Poly America has probably 10 starter companies out there foaming at the mouth to take over what we do exclusively.

 

Hey maybe they will call me back!!! LOL

 

Why did you leave ?

 

He applied, but HR never called or emailed him back even though he has a good record.

As for the calling emergency outbound for a bobtail pass, they asked last fall that we only request a bobtail pass during office hours and we were only suppose to call emergency outbound if we had issues on a load after hours.

 

Got my load before it's ready time yesterday. Kinda nice to be back to normal. It's kinda a quirky load, but I chose it from a decent size list of available loads, so I have 3 people to blame if it's messed up...me, myself and I. 1st stop is a set appointment, 2nd stop M&P, 3rd stop, set appointment, 4th stop M&P...and it finals in Reno...after choosing it, I began to regret it because Reno has been a freight black hole for us lately (spoke to a half dozen drivers who delivered out there that had days of sitting and waiting for the phone to ring). We shall see

 

It's likely someone ticked them off by calling at some ridiculous early A.M. time , zero dark thirty. I have never called them after 9 pm , once I called Martin at about 9:30 and told him I been trying to get a gate pass for 2 & a half hrs. .... Nothing was said, he cut me the pass.

 

I know you guys are having issues with backhaul so I wanted to chime in.

Last year I could pick and chose where I wanted to go because no matter where I went I was going to get a decent rate. Not so since January 1st this year. Thought it would get better come spring. Nope. And it's still bad. Oh there are plenty of loads. They just don't pay. And that may be the biggest issue with backhaul.

How am I doing? But for the grace of God go I! I've done lots of sitting this year. But I've also been able to move freight at a decent rate. Not like last year, but I'm meeting my minimum (far too often though).

So I suggest to continue to take the longest most productive loads available and pray for good things to happen when you get empty.

 

When freight rates drop, generally it's due to excess capacity...as in, to many empty trucks vying for available loads...this is usually a precursor of a slowing economy. I hate to predict it, but that is what happened 6 to 12 months before the Great Recession of '08. And with the European nations still suffering from a stagnant and/or recessive economy, plus the slowing economy of the primary title holders of this nations debt (as in China)..this does not bode well for our financial future...here's hoping I am wrong!